Classic English Scones
Tall, tender, golden-topped scones with a soft, flaky crumb and a gentle buttery sweetness. Serve them warm with clotted cream and jam for a proper afternoon tea.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Wait
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Makes
- 8 scones (about 2½-inch / 6 cm each)
Steps
Before you start
- Cut the butter into cubes and keep it in the fridge until the moment you use it; cold butter makes flaky scones.
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat to 425°F (220°C) while the cut scones chill.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, or better, weigh it. Too much flour gives dry scones.
- Chill the milk and egg until needed; cold ingredients help the scones rise tall.
Preheat and prepareOven 425°F / 220°C
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl, then set aside 1 tablespoon of it in a separate small bowl for the glaze.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 425°F (220°C).
Tip: Use an oven thermometer if you can; scones need a hot oven to rise tall.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt for 30 seconds until evenly combined with no lumps of baking powder.
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Ready when: Mixture looks uniform and pale.
Rub in butter
- Add the cold butter cubes.
- Using your fingertips, quickly press and rub the butter into the flour, lifting and letting it fall back into the bowl, for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stop when the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
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Ready when: Coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces; no large cubes.
Tip: If the butter feels soft or greasy, chill the bowl for 10 minutes before continuing.
Add wet ingredients
- Stir the remaining beaten egg (about 2 tablespoons), ½ cup (120 ml) cold milk and the vanilla, if using, together.
- Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the liquid, and mix with a table knife or fork using a cutting motion until the dough just clumps together and few dry streaks remain.
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Ready when: A shaggy, slightly sticky dough that holds together when pressed.
Tip: If there are dry crumbs at the bottom, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Overmixing makes tough scones.
Shape the dough
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- With floured hands, gently knead 3 or 4 times, just until it comes together.
- Pat or roll to an even 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness.
- Do not roll thinner, or the scones will be flat.
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Ready when: Smooth-ish, even slab 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Tip: Handle the dough as little as possible for a tender crumb.
Cut the scones
- Dip the 2½-inch (6 cm) cutter in flour.
- Press straight down without twisting and lift straight up, cutting as many rounds as you can, spacing them tightly.
- Gently gather the scraps, pat out to 1 inch (2.5 cm) again, and cut more.
- You should get 8 scones.
- Place them upside down on the lined baking sheet, 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
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Ready when: 8 clean-edged rounds on the sheet.
Tip: Twisting the cutter seals the edges and stops the scones rising evenly.
Chill the scones
- Refrigerate the tray of cut scones for 20 minutes.
- This firms the butter and relaxes the gluten so the scones rise high rather than spread.
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Ready when: Scones feel firm to the touch.
Glaze the tops
- Whisk the reserved 1 tablespoon egg with 1 teaspoon milk.
- Brush a thin layer over the tops of the scones, keeping the glaze off the cut sides, as drips will glue the layers together and stop them rising.
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Ready when: Tops evenly shiny with no pooling.
Tip: Keep glaze off the sides for the tallest rise.
Bake the sconesOven 425°F / 220°C
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 13 to 16 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through, until the scones have risen about double and are deep golden brown on top and lightly golden on the sides.
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Ready when: Deep golden tops; the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.
Tip: Don't open the oven in the first 10 minutes.
Cool and serve
- Transfer the scones to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Serve warm, split by hand, with clotted cream and jam.
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Ready when: Warm, not hot, with a set crumb.
Tip: Splitting by hand rather than cutting with a knife keeps the interior airy.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep everything cold and work quickly; warm butter melts into the flour and makes dense scones.
- Press the cutter straight down and never twist, for even, tall sides.
- Place the scones close together on the tray if you want them to rise upward more than outward.
- Add ½ cup (75 g) sultanas or raisins to the dry ingredients for fruit scones.
Make ahead
"Cut the scones, arrange them on the tray and freeze solid (about 1 hour), then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, glazed, at 425°F (220°C) for 17 to 20 minutes."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze baked scones up to 2 months. Reheat at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes (from frozen, 12 to 15 minutes) until warm."
Substitutions
- whole milk → buttermilk. Use the same amount for a slightly tangier, tender scone; the result is just as tall.
- unsalted butter → salted butter. Use the same amount and omit the salt.
- all-purpose flour → self-raising flour. Use 300 g self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder to 1 tsp (4 g).
- large egg → extra milk. For egg-free scones, use 2 tbsp (30 ml) more milk in the dough and brush the tops with milk.
